Automatic gate for railroads



(No Model.)

' H. O. REYNOLDS.

AUTOMATIC GATE FOR RAILROADS.

No. 308,196. PatentedNov. 18, 1884.

STATES ATENT rica.

HIRAM CULVIN REYNOLDS, OF GBEENFI ELD, IOWA.

AUTOMATIC GATE FOR RAILROADS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,196, dated November18, 1884.

Application filed May 12, 1884. (N0 model.) I

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, H. O. REYNoLDs, of Greenfield, in the county ofAdair and State of Iowa, have invented an Automatic Gate for Railroads,of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to enable the railroad-trains toautomatically open and close the gates which cross their tracks.

The invention consists in the means by which this is accomplished, andwhich will be hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in theclaims.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view showing the cross-gateshut. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the gate open for the trainto pass. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the elevated post, with theair-tube, plunger, and pulleys, together with the rope or flexibleconnection by which the gate is raised. Fig. 4 is a detail view showingthe grooved track-rail in section and the air-reservoir partly insection, with thepiston connected by its rod with the under side of themiddle of the spring.

In the drawings, A A represent two posts rigidly fixed in and onopposite sides of a sleeper or cross-tie, which passes under the track Gof the railroad.

B is an upright connected with the more elevated post A by bars 0. Thelatter are arranged in pairs pivoted to the outside of both the post Aand the upright B, so that the parts B 0 may fold up into a verticalposition, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The post A is hollow, andprovided with a plunger, D, whichis movable up and down ina tube, I, inthe post-cavity. This plunger isconnected at its lower end with a wirerope, E, (or equivalent device,) which passes over pulleys cl (1,journaled in the post near the top and bottom of its cavity to across-pin, c, between the two topmost gate-bars, O 0. Thus it will beseen that if the plunger D is forced up the gate itself is also raisedand folded back for the train to pass.

F F represent air-tanks on opposite sides of the gate, each providedwith a piston, f, whose rod f extends up through the trackrail G, and isattached to or pressed against of the gate.

the under side of the middle of the bow spring H,whichis secured so thatits ends will slide in slots 9 g of the rail, and thusallow the plate tostraighten out as the pressure of the car-wheels come upon it. Theeffect of this is to force down the piston f and expel the air from thetank.

I I represent pipes or tubes, which connect the air-tanks F F with thepost-cavity in which the plunger D works, so that as the air is forcedfrom either of the tanks into the cavity of the post A and against thebottom end of the plunger D the latter rises and folds up the gate. Assoon as the springs are allowed to rise, their tension and the backpressure of the air will cause the pistons f to rise to the upper partof their cylinders. As the air now no longer supports the plunger D, thegravity of the gate will overcome that of the plunger and draw it downto the lower end of the post-cavity, while the gateitself will descendto its normal position across the railroad-track. f

a represents a rear weighted latch-lever, which is lifted by the risingplungerD through an extension pin or lug at its upper end. This causesthe latch to catch over the crosspin 0 of the gate, and thus lessen theresistance made to the air-pressure by the weight As soon, however, asthe spring H is relieved from pressure and the air ceases to exert itspressure upon the bottom of plunger D, the latter sinks to the bottom ofpost A and the weight on the rear end of the latch unhooks it from thecross-bar 0, thus allowing the gate to gradually assume its place, asshown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

In practice the operation is very certain, exact, and convenient. Thepresence of the locomotive effectually deters the stock from attemptingto pass through the gate when the latter is raised.

Having thus described all that is necessary to a full understanding ofmy inv entiomwhat I claim as new, and desire to protect by LettersPatent, is

1. The combination, with a folding gate having the hinged bars 0 andmovable upright B, of the wire rope E, hollow fixed post A, carryingpulleys d d, and a piston, D, movnaled in said postas and for thepurpose specified.

HIRAM GULVIN REYNOLDS.

' Witnesses:

RICHARD J. GAINES, FRANK L. SooFIELD.

